As we get older, remembering things becomes a bit of a challenge.

They say we only use 10% of our brains, so that other 90% must be where the words hide—I’m picturing a rat maze.

But what if you don’t even know the word for something? You might need a book—aptly titled The Whatchamacallit by Danny Danziger and Mark McCrum.

Most people know that a dongle is something you plug into a computer and the aglet is that plastic end on a shoelace. Here are five more words that can easily be flowed right into your vocabulary to amaze your friends and win trivia contests.

There are about 200 of them on the average strawberry … Those tiny yellow seeds are called achenes (a-keens).

That light kiss on the back of a lady’s hand when you are delighted to make her acquaintance? That’s called a baisemain.

Fines are those dusty remnants at the bottom of the cereal box. They’re grrrrrrreat!

Ever play darts at your local pub? When it’s your turn, be sure to stand behind the line, which is officially called the oche (rhymes with rocky).

Un-stinking-believable. That’s called a tmesis—parts of a compound word separated by the intervention of one or more words.

Now, I promised you could amaze your friends. So, the next time they say, “How’s it going?” you’ll be ready, such as:

“This morning, as I counted the achenes on the last strawberry peeking out of the fines, I recalled the night before when I baisemained Carly at the oche. Fan-freaking-tastic!”

“Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking.”—John Maynard Keynes

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.”—Robert Frost

“Broadly speaking, the short words are the best, and the old words best of all.”—Sir Winston Churchill

Client Spotlight – Reilly International’s New Truck

You might just spot this vehicle on the road very soon.

Named the “Finnegan Express” after the company’s dog and unofficial mascot, the truck helps customers by providing on-demand transfers of goods in and around the Chicago area—also known as hot shot delivery services.

Reilly International is a service-oriented freight forwarder, consolidator and customs broker. We worked with them to create a beautiful, unique and memorable rolling billboard, designed it to look like an international shipping container—reinforcing their brand in a powerful way.

Watch for the truck cruising around Chicagoland. And if you are looking for top quality air and sea freight services, give Reilly International a call!

If you are marketing to, or tracking the activity of, anyone in the European Union, regardless of where you are located, you need to be ready for the General Data Protection Regulation, or GDPR.

Here’s a quick summary of what’s in the legislation:

Customers have the right to know how and where their personal data is being processed, have their personal data removed if they desire, receive their own personal data, and easily transfer information between service providers.

Data protection protocols need to be in place before a company collects personal information. These protocols must also limit who at the organization can access that data.

Data processors must notify their customers and business partners within 72 hours of becoming aware of any data breach.

Much of the compliance load falls on “processors,” such as email tools, analytics systems, marketing automation technologies, etc. But as a user of these tools, you are a “controller” of this data, which means you also have certain responsibilities.

If you’d like more information, please read an article from one of our clients, Single Path. They can provide your organization with further insights into GDPR, as well as comprehensive digital security and data protection support.

If you’re a Pepper Group client, we can help you use Act-On, or another tool, to get into compliance through:

Capturing consent for Web tracking

Capturing consent for double opt-in

Managing withdrawals from your database

If you’re not a Pepper Group client, but you want to help your business thrive in the ever-evolving digital marketing ecosystem, and you could use a knowledgeable, creative and proactive partner, then let’s talk!

As a computer graphics guy, I’m always in awe of realistic motion capture and 3D animation.

That said, I also have the utmost respect for the filmmakers who have chosen to go old school and create anthropomorphic creatures in real life to put up on the big screen.

I just recently learned about Doug Jones, a specialty actor whose natural body is almost never seen on camera, but he has played a multitude of fantastic monsters in more than 150 movies and TV shows. His dramatic miming skills have made him the preferred choice of many directors to play everything from the amphibian man in “The Shape of Water,” to the Fantastic Four’s “Silver Surfer.” Jones’ career performing in extravagant costumes and make-up goes back more than three decades and you’ll be amazed at how many of those characters you’ll recognize in this 3-minute spotlight video.

Got some YouTube videos of your own you’d like to share? Just send them my way!